Chapter 5 An Affair, Is It True?

• Liz put away the syringe. She was prepared to carry Anne out of the bathtub when Zeke suddenly appeared in front of the door. Before she could do or say anything, he walked past her and bent down to pick up Anne.
• He carried her so gently, as if he was handling a fragile item. The sight caused Liz to pause in her tracks.
• "She just blacked out. She's fatigued from the effects of the drug. She should be back on her feet again after a nap."
• "Understood. Thanks."
• Zeke laid Anne down on the bed and pulled the sheets over her body. He then turned around to find a hairdryer and proceeded to dry Anne's wet hair.
• Liz stood absentmindedly at the bathroom door staring at the scene before her. She could not help but feel a tinge of envy at how Zeke was treating another woman so well.
• "Who would have thought? Even the cold-blooded Mr. Garrette has a tender side. She must be lucky to be your niece."
• "You can leave."
• Zeke did not look at her, but that icy cold voice of his soured her mood.
• "Not getting me a drink? You owe you one."
• "Another time."
• As Zeke did not outright refuse her, Liz took it as a sign that she had a chance with him.
• "Okay, I'll hold you to that." said Liz as she walked out with her medical kit.
• The smell of her perfume lingered on in the room after she left. There were only hints of it, but it was enough for Zeke to frown.
• After he dried Anne's hair, he stood up and opened the window. A gush of cold air flooded in, displacing what remained of Liz's perfume smell.
• Anne slept soundly. Only her slightly frowned expression hinted at what happened earlier.
• Zeke leaned against the window and lit a cigarette. The smoke from his cigarette concealed his face as he was lost in thought.
• It was no coincidence that Anne appeared in his hotel room all of a sudden. He could not believe that the Lloyd family dared to do that to Anne. The nerves they had!
• Zeke snuffed out the cigarette butt that was in his hand. For a brief moment, there was a menacing look in his eyes.
• He stood there quietly in the room with Anne throughout the night. The sound of Anne's breathing was oddly calming to him.
• Before long, sunrise came. He stretched his stiff neck after realizing he had maintained the same posture all night long.
• With a wry smile, Zeke glanced at his watch. It was five o'clock in the morning.
• After making a phone call, Mrs. Perez, the Miller's housekeeper, came to drop off a set of clothes for Anne. He then went to the front desk and requested to have his room moved to the one next to where Anne was. He also got the receptionist to modify the timestamp of the request for room change in the database. It was the first time Zeke used his influence as a member of the Miller family to make things happen.
• Both the Miller family and the Garrett family had a shared history. That was why Old Man Miller was adamant that Zeke sign and finalize the adoption procedure, even though he was past the age of adoption.
• After Zeke had done all that, he returned to the room to tidy it up. He then placed Anne's clothes on the bedside table and went to his new room with his suitcase.
• Anne had a restless night.
• Even though the bed was fluffy and the temperature in the room was comfortable, she felt her body was sore all over. It was as if something was pressed on her body throughout the night.
• She stretched out her arms and the sheet that covered her slipped off, revealing her naked body. She was momentarily stunned at the sight of her body which was still flushed red.
• Memories of what happened returned to her and her expression darkened.
• What was Jaiden trying to do, leaving me like this in Uncle Zeke's bed?
• Unlike everyone else, Jaiden knew about their relationship. It was clear to her Jaiden's reason for drugging and stripping her, and then leaving her on Zeke's bed. She wanted Zeke to help Anne's father, Harper.
• Did she think doing that would get Zeke to help Harper? Zeke cared a lot about Anne, but what Jaiden pulled off would definitely piss him off instead. So why did Jaiden do what she did?
• A lightbulb suddenly went off in her mind and it dawned upon her that Jaiden wanted to destroy her. On top of that, she wanted Uncle Zeke to go down with Anne.
• She could feel her blood boiling. She wanted to confront Jaiden and slap her in the face.
• Anne quickly looked around and breathed a sigh of relief. Zeke was not there, thankfully. She then noticed the clothes on the bedside table. The clothes were given to her by Zeke for her 18th birthday.
• But she recalled that these clothes should be at her Grandpa's place. Realizing what Zeke did, a smile appeared on her face.
• As always, Uncle Zeke always treats me well.
• Anne put on the clothes and looked at herself in the mirror to ensure that she still fit into them. After that, she walked towards the door.
• The moment she opened the door, countless flashes suddenly went off in front of her eyes and she instinctively closed them.
• "Ms. Lloyd, word is that you had an affair with a man here, is it true?"
• "Ms. Lloyd, does the Perkins family know about this?"
• "Ms. Lloyd, we were told that you decided to sleep with a captain from the military to bail your father, Harper Lloyd, out of trouble. Is the captain still here?"
• Like a pack of hungry wolves surrounding their prey, a group of reporters rushed toward her.
• Anne was caught off-guard and she had to slowly inch back into the room.
• "Ms. Lloyd."
• "Ms. Lloyd!"
• She felt like the voices surrounded her and she could not escape from the crowd.
• The flickering camera flashes, the intimidating faces, and the incessant questions all drove her up the wall. Slowly but surely, a wave of unexplained anger rose in her.